Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - In the era when most professional golfers
travel with a personal trainer and nutritionist, Sunday's win by Carl
Pettersson at the RBC Heritage was one for the plump.
Pettersson is listed at 195 pounds in the PGA Tour media guide, and the only
way that's true is if he either put one leg on the scale or was weighed on
the intensified gravity of Jupiter.
The Swede is about 240 pounds if he's a dime. That's fine. Media guides lie
all of the time. Truthfully, Pettersson is one of the larger-waisted players
on the PGA Tour.
He's also the most recent winner. Pettersson has five PGA Tour titles and most
of them came while exerting some effort to see his feet.
(At this point, it's worth noting that I'm built like Pettersson, so I can
speak.)
There was a time, a few offseasons ago, when Pettersson went down the path
so many with weight issues went, he shed pounds. The Swede turned U.S. citizen
lost 30 pounds, but also lost his golf game in the process.
"It really threw my golf game -- '09, I played terrible, I finished 150-
something on the money list, FedExCup list," Pettersson said Sunday after his
victory.
Pettersson did what anyone would do, he worked hard to get back into the shape
in which he excelled.
"Well, you drink, you know, 10 beers and (a) tub of ice cream before you go to
bed. That puts it on quickly," said this professional athlete.
Pettersson isn't the only one. Craig Stadler lost a ton of weight years ago
and it ruined his swing. You play the game your whole life with a 42-inch
waist, you build a rhythm. It's how you swing.
A significant weight loss can change all of that. The swing is predicated on a
takeaway and a follow-through around the waist, or core as it's now trendily
called. A massive change in that bump ruins what you've spent a life learning.
This is not to say that being overweight is a good thing. Aside from the
massive health concerns, there is a golf concern as well.
A PGA Tour golf course measures about five miles worth of walking. Throw in
hills, and that's a lot for overweight man, or woman, to battle while trying
to hit perfect golf shots and win.
If you also add the summer heat and humidity, a hefty belly can wear one down,
especially on Sunday, when golf tournaments are won.
So, in this era of fitness, how important is it to be a 28-waist with a 3-
percent body fat percentage?
By and large, the winners on tour this season resemble athletes more than
donut shop regulars. The doughiest victor this season on tour prior to
Pettersson was Phil Mickelson. Lefty's certainly no Adonis, but he's not going
to fill in as Santa Claus without the aid of a body suit.
Being heavy doesn't guarantee strength. It's more an issue of endurance and
the trend toward power bars and protein shakes isn't going anywhere.
Tiger Woods works out sometimes before a round, and most times, after. He's a
physical specimen, unlike any seen in golf, and he also happens to be at a
minimum, the second-best player ever.
Lee Westwood was pudgy and his game abandoned him. He worked hard and now has
to be the strongest player in the game. He's third in the world and has won
all over the globe.
But that's not the only way to get into the winner's circle, as Pettersson
proved.
"We're not running marathons here, we're just walking 18 holes," Pettersson
said. "Maybe some of these guys are overdoing it. It's great to be fit and
everything, but I feel like I'm fit enough to get around 18 holes."
Amen.
Now, go get us those 10 beers and tub of ice cream.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
- Louis Oosthuizen lost the Masters in a playoff. It's impossible to realize
how crushing it can be to get that close to that title, and come up short.
After, he travels 30 hours, through 12 time zones to play in the Malaysian
Open. There were long weather delays and Oosthuizen persevered through it all
to win. Say nothing of how hard it is to get up for the next event after the
Masters heartbreak, to endure all of that, then win is impressive. For someone
whose desire has been questioned in the last 10 days, that victory displayed
some serious mental toughness.
- I love the world rankings. In a two-year, complex formula, Rory McIlroy is
once again No. 1, despite sitting out this week. Luke Donald needed a tie for
eighth or better, and didn't come close. No matter how ridiculous it seems for
a guy resting on his couch to become first, it's probably accurate.
- Movie moment - Took the week off from film.
The Sports Network